


A New Family Member

by ericsonclan



Series: Ericson's Diner AU [31]
Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Cats, F/F, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:28:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25657435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericsonclan/pseuds/ericsonclan
Summary: Violet and Prisha visit the animal shelter to find their very own pet to bring home.
Relationships: Brody/Mitch (Walking Dead: Done Running), Prisha/Violet (Walking Dead: Done Running)
Series: Ericson's Diner AU [31]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1688374
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	1. A New Family Member

**Author's Note:**

> (by Laura)

“Shit, there’s so many of them,” Violet muttered as she and Prisha made their way through the halls of the cat wing of their local animal shelter. “How are we gonna choose?”

“I suppose we’ll pick whichever one we bond with,” Prisha replied, reaching a finger into one of the cages. The signs around the shelter warned against such behavior, but she’d quickly found the temptation too great to resist. The black cat inside the cage looked back at her through half-lidded eyes, too lazy to give her any greater attention.

“I don’t think bonding will be a problem.” Violet stood before a cage where two tabby kittens slept curled within each other’s’ arms. “It’ll be narrowing down our options, that’s the real challenge,”

A warm smile was on Prisha’s face as she looked at the tiny kittens. “They really are adorable. I think I’d prefer to adopt an older cat though. Kittens are likely in high demand. I’d rather give an older cat a new lease on life,”

“Sounds good,” Violet turned round, ready to leave the current room. “Besides, that way we won’t have to potty train it,”

They walked down the hallway, entering another room. Almost every kennel was full, some with more than one cat. They knew they should only adopt one cat today, but that didn’t stop the possibility of getting more from entering their minds. Some of the cats were friendly, coming up to the bars to rub against their fingers and purr loudly, while others wouldn’t even deign to give them the time of day. The parts of the shelter that didn’t house kennels had play areas where the cats could roam around. Entrance to those rooms was for staff only, but Violet and Prisha still enjoyed watching the various cats within those rooms. Scratching post towers and various feathered and jingling cat toys had the pair already thinking of all the things they could buy for their new furry companion.

As Violet stood in front of one of the viewing windows, she felt a warmth against her hand. Prisha intertwined their fingers, her thumb coming up to brush along the side of Violet’s hand. The gesture filled Violet with a warm sense of security. It had been a few months since Prisha had asked her to move in, but sometimes she still couldn’t believe it. Knowing she had someone who looked forward to waking up with her each and every morning had caused a shift within Violet’s thinking. She’d spent most of her life focused on the future, hoping against all odds that she’d find some sort of happiness while keeping her expectations and goals realistic to her circumstances. To be at a point in her life where the good things so drastically outweighed the bad was dizzying. Oftentimes she didn’t know what to do with herself. For now, Violet settled on giving Prisha’s hand a tiny squeeze in response.

The last room had fewer cats as most of them were currently in one of the playrooms. Prisha and Violet were the only ones in the room, quietly strolling down the length of the room checking each cage to see if they could spot a cat inside. They each had a mental checklist of cats they were interested in: a particularly rambunctious tabby that had taken an interest in Violet’s finger, a chill tortoiseshell who’d allowed Prisha to rub under her chin, a pair of striped cats that they knew they’d have to adopt together as one of the shelter volunteers had mentioned they were brothers… this room was simply a formality, a final check before they got down to brass tacks of who they’d be taking home. Violet was about to turn back around when she found herself face to face with a particularly large gray cat. 

It stared back at her with bored neutrality, its tail lightly flicking against its thigh as it lay in the cat bed by the cage’s bars. At first Violet thought that one of the cat’s eyes was shut, but she soon realized that it only had one eye. She felt bad for the feline, but it didn’t seem to mind, grooming itself intently and running a paw over where the eye once was. Its good eye stared at Violet, evaluating her cautiously. The color of its eye was similar to Clementine’s, a funny thing to notice when considering a cat. She was about to move along when the cat let out the roughest, throatiest meow she’d ever heard. Violet paused, staring at the cat in confusion.

“What was that?” Prisha asked, making her way over beside Violet. 

The cat looked at Prisha evenly and let out its chain smoker meow once more. It extended a paw towards them, yawning widely before its jaw snapped shut and it meowed again. It stood up and let its body flop against the bars of its cage. Hesitantly, Prisha reached out a finger, running it along the short gray fur. A sound like a rusty motor erupted from the cat. It curled its body round, twisting its head to observe them as Prisha continued petting it. Both girls found themselves oddly entranced by its gaze.

“What is this one’s name?” Prisha murmured absentmindedly, reaching up to stroke behind the cat’s ears.

Violet glanced at the disposable nameplate. “Smokey,” she snorted. “That’s a fucking dumb name,”

“We can definitely come up with something better than that,” Prisha agreed. “Can’t we… Lysander?”

“Lysander?”

“I’m assuming he’s a boy,”

“He is. But I’m not calling a cat Lysander. Besides, have you seen this thing? He’s trailer trash,” Violet gestured dismissively toward the purring feline. 

Prisha gasped in mock indignation. Reaching up, she covered one of the cat’s ears. “Don’t listen to her, Lysander. She’s just jealous she didn’t think of such a noble name,”

Violet rolled her eyes. She was used to Prisha’s theatrics. Still, she wasn’t giving in on this one. “We should give him a name that matches his weird-ass meow. Like Gus or Meatball or… Fire Truck,”

“Really? You want to name him Fire Truck?”

“OK, I pulled that last one out of my ass,” Violet looked back at the cat, watching as he basked in Prisha’s affection. The nameplate said he was 8 years old, found down by Howe’s canal. Her old stomping grounds. This cat had clearly been through some shit in life, but here he was, ready to love on the first person who’d let him. It didn’t take a genius to see the parallels with her own life. This was definitely the cat for them, but what would they name him? Violet stared into the cat’s one eye, searching for inspiration. Suddenly it hit her. “Tubbs,”

“Tubbs,”

“Look at him,” Violet gestured to the cat, practically melting into Prisha’s touch, his belly hair sticking out from underneath the bars of the cage. “It’s perfect,”

Prisha gazed at him, ruminating over the matter. Finally she answered. “Alright. Sir Tubbs,”

Violet grinned as she watched her girlfriend and cat. “Now it’s perfect,”

Adopting Sir Tubbs was a fairly easy process. Before the hour was up, they were back in Prisha’s car with Sir Tubbs in a cardboard carrier, snoring loudly without a care in the world. According to the shelter workers, he’d been at the shelter for quite some time, several months at least. Prisha and Violet had been surprised when they told them that he wasn’t that friendly with most people, often sleeping the day away in the back of his cage, his apathy keeping him from being adopted. It made them feel special knowing they were the exception not the rule when it came to his behavior. In the end, it wasn’t up to them to choose a cat; Sir Tubbs had chosen them instead. They would make sure to give him the best life possible in return.


	2. Two Fuzzy Companions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After hearing about the animal shelter from Violet, Brody and Mitch decide to adopt a pair of kittens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (by Linnea)

The decision was made in a heartbeat. As soon as Mitch and Brody had heard about the pair of brother kittens at the animal shelter from Violet they knew they had to adopt them. With one shared look they had agreed to it. After some deliberating the couple decided it would be best to go on Friday since neither were working that day. Both Brody and Mitch agreed to take on any more work that they could to save up for their kitty funds. Mitch grabbed a few extra handyman jobs. Every time he worked on a faulty shower or a leaky toilet he reminded himself that it was for the kittens. With that thought in mind, he was able to push through the different jobs.

Brody picked up some extra shifts at the diner, always with a smile on her face as she tried to be the best server she could be in hopes of extra tips. To her surprise, she seemed to get steady tips all throughout the week. Before they knew it Friday had rolled around and after double checking to make sure they had everything they were on their way to the animal shelter. The ride there was relatively quiet; both of them were excited to meet the kittens. It was a fairly short ride, only around twenty minutes before Mitch pulled into a spot in the parking lot. After turning off the car, he turned to look at his girlfriend. “Alright, you know the plan, right?”

Brody locked eyes with him and nodded with a determined smile. “Keep our heads down until we reach the room with the brother kittens.” They both knew they were suckers for kittens and that as soon as they entered the building they would instantly fall in love with any cat they saw. So in order to make sure they didn’t reach the point where they had over a dozen kittens and cats to choose from, they would avoid looking at any other cats. Mitch held out his fist and Brody immediately fistbumped it, both making explosion sounds as they drew back their hands. 

Exiting the car, Mitch jogged forward to open the entrance door for Brody who gave a quick thanks before holding the door open for him on the inside. When they had both successfully entered the building, their eyes immediately fell to the floor. Mitch and Brody walked in silence for a few minutes. The only sound in the hallways was the faint sounds of meowing emitting from the other rooms. _Gotta be strong._ Mitch tried to psych himself up - he had to avoid looking at all the cute kittens. He was so focused on making sure he wasn’t getting swayed by the fuzzy furballs that he was surprised when Brody’s hand reached for his. Mitch looked over at Brody with a warm smile. 

“We can be strong,” Brody had a confident smile on her face.

“Yeah, just gotta get to….” His eyes searched the different doors, his mind trying to recall which one Violet had said had the brothers. His eyes stopped when they reached the third door on the right. “That door.”

“Easy,” Brody started to walk forward with Mitch, their joined hands swaying back and forth as they felt their excitement bubble within them. It was when they reached the door that a sudden thought entered Mitch’s mind that made his heart drop. What if they were too late? What if someone else had adopted the kittens already? Mitch shook his head, forcing the negative thought away. They were there, they had to be. If they weren’t, then he and Brody would talk about what they wanted to do. His hand grasped the handle of the door and with a quick push he opened it. 

The couple was immediately hit with the cuteness overload of the room. Kennel after kennel had a cat or kitten that was in need of a home. A cute tabby strolled up to the front of her cage. She playful headbutted the metal, making a loud purring sound as she locked eyes with Mitch. Mitch’s eyes widened and he started to wander over to the cage when he stopped himself. He needed to see if the brothers were here first. No way could he leave a pair of brothers stuck in a dinky cage. With that thought in mind, Brody and Mitch split up to look for the two kittens they were here for. 

It seemed like an impossible task. The different cats were all so charming in their own way. A small orange kitten was sleeping peacefully on his bed, his whiskers twitching as his body moved with his breathing. Brody looked at the kitten with a happy smile until she realized that they still hadn't found the brothers. Moving forward, she stopped at a cage when her eyes caught sight of the two striped grey kittens that Violet had mentioned. Both were asleep, napping in each other's arms. They seemed at peace, small content looks on their face while they slept.

“Mitch,” Brody whispered and motioned with her head back at the cage. Mitch quietly made his way over, his eyes dancing with joy when he saw that Brody had successfully located the brothers.

“Holy shit,” Mitch whispered over to his girlfriend “They’re so fucking cute.”

“They really are,” Brody looked over to Mitch. “So we haven’t talked about names, but do you have any ideas? I think it’d be fair if we get to name one each.”

“Sounds good to me,” Mitch’s smile grew when he noticed that one of them had woken up. The kitten stretched out his paws while arching his back. A small yawn escaped its lips before a small sneeze shook its body. It seemed to immediately pick up on the presence of the couple. Making its way over with large, dramatic steps, it stopped in front of Mitch then looked over to Brody. A large black spot covered its right eye. It had beautiful blue eyes that held flecks of green within its depths. A happy, high meow emitted from its mouth. 

Brody gave a happy squeal as she cautiously moved her fingers towards the inside of the cage. It wasn’t allowed but she didn’t care; the kitten was too cute. It instantly accepted her advances, affectionately rubbing his head against her finger before strutting over and letting Brody’s finger brush along its black striped fur. Brody chuckled while the kitten continued to walk back and forth, a small, warm purr vibrating inside its body. 

“Well, got any name ideas?” Mitch stuck his finger in, wiggling it around to try and convince the kitten to pay attention to him. The kitten’s eyes immediately found interest in the new finger in the cage and trotted over to receive some more love. 

“Hmmm,” Brody had a thoughtful look on her face. She wanted something cute and playful sounding for that kitten’s name. “How about Oreo?”

“Oreo,” Mitch thought about it for a moment before a happy grin appeared on his lips. “I like it.”

All of a sudden the other kitten seemed to notice the absence of his brother. He woke up with a start and noticed the two humans that were hovering around his home. Arching his back, he did a funny walk horizontally, his paws moving frantically before his eyes found a small toy that had been tossed to the side. His eyes widened as he pounced on the toy, his claws digging into the toy while his teeth viciously munched on the toy before taking a more casual approach as he looked over at Mitch. The kitten rolled off its back and kicked off the toy. He was about to make his way over to Mitch when the urge to attack the toy overtook the small kitten again. Mitch and Brody chuckle as they watched the kitten with amusement. 

“Man, he thinks he’s such a badass,” Mitch laughed. “Gotta give him a cool name to match.”

“He really is a little firecracker,” Brody nodded in agreement. Her hand brushed against Oreo’s fur who had returned to Brody’s side.

Mitch’s mind spun with a few different name ideas. Grenade would be cool, but it didn’t seem right. He could always go for a classic name like Buddy, but that seemed more to Brody's taste and not his. “TNT.”

“TNT?” Brody looked over with a smile. She wasn’t surprised by the name choice.

“Yeah, since he has an explosive personality and is a total badass.” He motioned over to TNT who had whacked himself in the face with the toy when he had pulled too harshly on it. 

“Alright, Oreo and TNT, ready to see your new home?’ Brody leaned over and gave a kind smile. Both kittens looked at her with curiosity before TNT gave a small meow. Mitch immediately left to find someone to start the process of adoption, leaving Brody to stand guard to make sure no one else even thought to take Oreo and TNT away.

It didn’t take long. Before they knew it they had signed the paperwork and handed over the money. Brody gently carried the cardboard carrier as they walked over to the little store at the animal shelter that held different toys and items for a person’s newest animal companion. After selecting some basic necessities: a laser pointer, a blue feather toy and a soft plush that looked similar to the one TNT was playing with, Mitch and Brody were ready to check out. Both of them were thankful that they had taken some extra work so they could treat their newest fuzzy companions. 

After that was finished, they made their way back to the car. Mitch opened the door for Brody who awkwardly tried to navigate getting in without frightening the two kittens. Mitch soon entered as well and after giving Brody a quick kiss started the car. The car ride back was far different from the one there. Both Brody and Mitch talked excitedly about all the ideas they had and how excited they were now that they had adopted TNT and Oreo. When they had reached their apartment and closed the door securely behind them, Mitch opened up the carrier.

He delicately picked up TNT who seemed overly excited about the new environment. His claws reached up and he pulled himself up on Mitch’s hoodie. Mitch laughed as he tried to give TNT enough space to wander on his back. He then proceeded to pick up Oreo who gave a happy meow when he was picked up. Brody watched in content amusement as she saw the joy in Mitch’s eyes while the two kittens traveled along his body. After a few minutes, Brody picked up Oreo and held the kitten on her lap who seemed happy with the new company. 

“Wanna watch a movie with our new kittens?” Mitch had an excited smile on his face. 

“Sounds fun.” Brody looked up from Oreo who was absolutely eating up his new owner’s affections. It only took a few minutes for Mitch to set up the TV before he wandered over to the couch with a satisfied grin as TNT lay in his hood. The striped kitten’s head popped out and immediately found his sibling’s. Brody shifted her body and leaned over her head, resting it on Mitch’s shoulder while her eyes watched TNT struggle to get out of the confines of Mitch’s hood before walking over and plopping himself down on Mitch and Brody’s legs that were touching. Oreo walked over with an overdramatic yawn and curled up next to his sibling. Within the first twenty minutes of the movie the kittens were asleep, wrapped in each other’s embrace. Leaving Mitch and Brody to enjoy a movie with the warmth and company of their new fuzzy pets.


End file.
